Review of They Call Me Ms.
Posted: 15 Sep 2021, 09:40
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "They Call Me Ms." by Terry Adcock.]
They Call Me Ms. by Terry Adcock is the first book in the A Vic Carella Mystery series. After spending two tours as a military police officer, Vic Carella opens her own private investigator company, "Vic Carella, Investigator and Finder of Lost Objects." Mitch Goldberg contacts her after his sixty-foot Hatteras yacht, the Bella Michella, disappears after a party. He wants her to keep everything confidential and away from the police because he is involved in human trafficking, gunrunning, and smuggling. Mitch Goldberg offers to double Vic's standard rates and add a bonus if she can find the yacht in 48 hours. Vic contacts Pete Beckham and provides him with the party's guest list to learn more about Mitch's friends. He tells her Mitch is an investment counselor the federal government is investigating for money laundering, Marvin Bocci is assistant to the assistant of the mayor, Andre Adema imports produce from Mexico, Boots Johnson is a dangerous negotiator, and Boris Zharkov can move boats without a forklift and is a discipliner. Shortly after Vic takes his case, Mitch is found dead on his yacht. Now, Vic wants to know who and why someone killed Mitch. What has Vic gotten herself into?
This book has many positive aspects. Terry Adcock includes tips for the readers to learn from throughout the story. For example, he explains how private information gets into nongovernmental databases through charities, bills, and subscriptions. The character development is fantastic, and I could empathize with Boots when he was in the hospital and not getting any rest because the nurses checked on him all night. Although Vic has some insecurities, I like that she is portrayed as a strong female. The demographics are described to the extent that I could see the boats in the marinas, the murder victims, and the fights. The story is told in the first person from Vic's point of view and in a manner that made me feel like the author was sitting next to me and telling me a story. Throughout the book, Terry Adcock made side comments to readers like, "You're familiar with Woodstock, right?," "There's something about a man in uniform, wouldn't you agree?," or "Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it." I laughed each time he did this.
The only negative aspect of this book is that I had a good idea of how it would end before I was halfway through it. It would have been better if there had been more suspense since this book is a mystery. The only uncertainty in the book is how the events would occur, not who did it.
Having said this, I am still giving this book 4 out of 4 stars because the negative aspect did not affect my reading enjoyment. I only found one typo in the book, and it would not have been an error if the author had been consistent in the usage. He used the word "blond" once, but two other times he spelled it "blonde." Therefore, I believe a professional editor has edited this book. There is no reason to give this book a lower score.
I recommend this book for teenage or older readers who enjoy mysteries and crime thrillers. I do caution sensitive readers that the murder scenes are gory, there is nondescriptive human trafficking, sexual abuse is alluded to, and it does contain borderline profanity. I look forward to reading future books in the series.
******
They Call Me Ms.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
They Call Me Ms. by Terry Adcock is the first book in the A Vic Carella Mystery series. After spending two tours as a military police officer, Vic Carella opens her own private investigator company, "Vic Carella, Investigator and Finder of Lost Objects." Mitch Goldberg contacts her after his sixty-foot Hatteras yacht, the Bella Michella, disappears after a party. He wants her to keep everything confidential and away from the police because he is involved in human trafficking, gunrunning, and smuggling. Mitch Goldberg offers to double Vic's standard rates and add a bonus if she can find the yacht in 48 hours. Vic contacts Pete Beckham and provides him with the party's guest list to learn more about Mitch's friends. He tells her Mitch is an investment counselor the federal government is investigating for money laundering, Marvin Bocci is assistant to the assistant of the mayor, Andre Adema imports produce from Mexico, Boots Johnson is a dangerous negotiator, and Boris Zharkov can move boats without a forklift and is a discipliner. Shortly after Vic takes his case, Mitch is found dead on his yacht. Now, Vic wants to know who and why someone killed Mitch. What has Vic gotten herself into?
This book has many positive aspects. Terry Adcock includes tips for the readers to learn from throughout the story. For example, he explains how private information gets into nongovernmental databases through charities, bills, and subscriptions. The character development is fantastic, and I could empathize with Boots when he was in the hospital and not getting any rest because the nurses checked on him all night. Although Vic has some insecurities, I like that she is portrayed as a strong female. The demographics are described to the extent that I could see the boats in the marinas, the murder victims, and the fights. The story is told in the first person from Vic's point of view and in a manner that made me feel like the author was sitting next to me and telling me a story. Throughout the book, Terry Adcock made side comments to readers like, "You're familiar with Woodstock, right?," "There's something about a man in uniform, wouldn't you agree?," or "Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it." I laughed each time he did this.
The only negative aspect of this book is that I had a good idea of how it would end before I was halfway through it. It would have been better if there had been more suspense since this book is a mystery. The only uncertainty in the book is how the events would occur, not who did it.
Having said this, I am still giving this book 4 out of 4 stars because the negative aspect did not affect my reading enjoyment. I only found one typo in the book, and it would not have been an error if the author had been consistent in the usage. He used the word "blond" once, but two other times he spelled it "blonde." Therefore, I believe a professional editor has edited this book. There is no reason to give this book a lower score.
I recommend this book for teenage or older readers who enjoy mysteries and crime thrillers. I do caution sensitive readers that the murder scenes are gory, there is nondescriptive human trafficking, sexual abuse is alluded to, and it does contain borderline profanity. I look forward to reading future books in the series.
******
They Call Me Ms.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
